There is a need in the medical profession for an apparatus and method capable of monitoring and transmitting physiological and wellness parameters of patients to a remote site where a medical professional caregiver evaluates such physiological and wellness parameters. Specifically, there is a need for an interactive apparatus that is coupled to a remote computer such that a medical professional caregiver can supervise and provide medical treatment to remotely located patients.
There is needed an apparatus that monitors and transmits physiological and wellness parameters of patients to a remote computer, whereby a medical professional caregiver evaluates the information and provokes better overall health care and treatment for the patient. Accordingly, such an apparatus can be used to prevent unnecessary hospitalizations of such patients.
Also, there is needed an apparatus for monitoring and transmitting such physiological and wellness parameters that is easy to use and that is integrated into a single unit. For example, there is a need for a patient monitoring apparatus that comprises: a transducing device for providing electronic signals representative of measured physiological parameters, such as weight; an input/output device; and a communication device as a single integrated unit that offers ambulatory patients ease of use, convenience and portability.
Patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as chronic heart failure, will benefit from such home monitoring apparatus. These patients normally undergo drug therapy and lifestyle changes to manage their medical condition. In these patients, the medical professional caregiver monitors certain wellness parameters and symptoms including: weakness, fatigue, weight gain, edema, dyspnea (difficulty breathing or shortness of breath), nocturnal cough, orthopnea (inability to lie flat in bed because of shortness of breath), and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (awakening short of breath relieved by sitting or standing); and body weight to measure the response of drug therapy. Patients will also benefit from daily reminders to take medications (improving compliance), reduce sodium intake and perform some type of exercise. With the information received from the monitoring device, the medical professional caregiver can determine the effectiveness of the drug therapy, the patient's condition, whether the patient's condition is improving or whether the patient requires hospitalization or an office consultation to prevent the condition from getting worse.
Accordingly, there is needed an apparatus and method for monitoring the patients from a remote location, thus allowing medical professional caregivers to receive feedback of the patient's condition without having to wait until the patient's next office visit. In addition, there is needed an apparatus and method that allows medical professional caregivers to monitor and manage the patient's condition to prevent the rehospitalization of such patient, or prevent the patient's condition from deteriorating to the point where hospitalization would be required. As such, there are social as well as economic benefits to such an apparatus and method.
The patient receives the benefits of improved health when the professional caregiver is able to monitor and quickly react to any adverse medical conditions of the patient or to any improper responses to medication. Also, society benefits because hospital resources will not be utilized unnecessarily.
As a group, patients suffering from chronic heart failure are the most costly to treat. There are approximately 5 million patients in the U.S.A. and 15 million worldwide with chronic heart failure. The mortality rate of patients over 65 years of age is 50%. Of those that seek medical help and are hospitalized, 50% are rehospitalized within 6 months. Of these, 16% will be rehospitalized twice. The patients that are hospitalized spend an average of 9.1 days in the hospital at a cost of $12,000.00 for the period. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce the rehospitalization rate of chronic heart failure patients by providing improved in-home patient monitoring, such as frequently monitoring the patient's body weight and adjusting the drug therapy accordingly.
Approximately 60 million American adults ages 20 through 74 are overweight. Obesity is a known risk factor for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, gallbladder disease, arthritis, breathing problems, and some forms of cancer such as breast and colon cancer. Americans spend $33 billion dollars annually on weight-reduction products and services, including diet foods, products and programs.
There is a need in the weight management profession for an apparatus and method capable of monitoring and transmitting physiological and wellness parameters of overweight/obese patients to a remote site where a weight management professional or nutritionist evaluates such physiological and wellness parameters. Specifically, there is a need for an interactive apparatus that is coupled to a remote computer such that a weight management professional or nutritionist can supervise and provide nutritional guidance to remotely located individuals.
The apparatus allows overweight individuals to participate in a weight loss/management program with accurate weight monitoring from home. The apparatus improves the convenience for the individual participant by eliminating the need to constantly commute to the weight management center and “weigh-in.” Furthermore, the individual can participate in a weight management program while under professional supervision from the privacy and comfort of their own home. Moreover, the apparatus allows the weight management professional to intervene and adapt the individual's diet and exercise routine based on the weight and wellness information received.
Employers and individuals are subject to increasing health cost exposure. Premiums for employer-based health insurance have risen by over 10 percent each year for the past four years. Employees are increasingly being asked to shoulder additional healthcare costs in the form of copayments, coinsurance, and other cost sharing mechanisms. A method that facilitates cutting the overall cost and/or frequency of clinic visits for a large number of individuals is needed, particularly for preventative or maintenance healthcare needs.
Persons often wait until a clear health issue develops prior to scheduling a clinical visit. Cost, inconvenience, and discomfort are common reasons why such persons allow minor health issues to develop into much more serious issues requiring substantially higher expense. Such health issues can be based on a variety of hereditary or environmental factors. As such, there is a need for a system that tracks a person's historical health data, asks questions related to health related risk factors, and carefully tailors interaction with a patient based on that patient's risk factors and historical health data.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an apparatus, system and method capable of monitoring and transmitting physiological and wellness parameters of ambulatory patients, such as body weight, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, heart rate, or other parameters, to a remote location where a medical professional caregiver, weight management professional or nutritionist can evaluate and respond to the patient's medical wellness condition.